Filter vials have a tubular piston with a filter at the distal end of the piston. The piston fits into a mating vial containing a fluid and things suspended in the fluid. When the piston is inserted into the vial fluid passes through the filter and into the piston in order to separate the fluid from particles or molecules too large to pass through the filter in the bottom of the piston. The filtered fluid can be extracted from the piston for further use.
The diameter and thickness of the filters can vary greatly from filter to filter and the thickness of the filter can vary greatly even across one filter. These variations make it difficult to seal the filters so all the fluid being filtered passes through the filter, and so that fluid does not wick around the peripheral edge of the filter to contaminate the filtered fluid in the piston. Further, as fluid is forced through the filters the filters can bow or otherwise deform and allow fluid to bypass the filter as it enters the body of the piston. Current assemblies use ultrasonically welded assemblies. Even if the filters are ultrasonically welded to the adjacent walls that leaves plasticizers that contaminate the fluids placed in the vials during use.